Theater as it is known in the West, with its tendency to realism and spoken dialogue, was introduced to China about 100 years ago by foreigners coming to China and Chinese students returning from abroad. Since then the art form has developed, struggled and ultimately produced something unique to China. In the past few decades, Chinese theater has not enjoyed the same renaissance and attention from overseas enjoyed by contemporary Chinese art. While these are striking exceptions, most of the plays that are regularly staged in Beijing draw from a canon of classics, either translated from Western works or written in China as works of hua ju (modern Chinese drama).